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Northern California Lake Fishing Report

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Monday, May 26th, 2008

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 62-69

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: I had another father/son team out Monday. The weather was still cloudy and windy but no rain while we were out. I had them throw baby bass spooks fisrt thing on points on the West Branch in the morning with mixed results. Only 4 blow-ups and one to the boat. It was the first time they had thrown top water but they really liked seeing the bass jump all over their lures. We then moved up the North Fork and found lots of feeding bass, all post spawn. The useual tubes and senko's provided them with around 25 bass but only one over. The bite was soft and they missed a lot of bites. All and all it was a great day on the lake. It was hard to believe that it was Memorial Day, there was so few pleasure boats and skiers out there.
      City: Paradise

      Tips: Colors on the tubes were watermelon and clear sparkle and the senko's were smoke/purple and pumkpkin and laverder shad. Dart head worms and beavers were also working. The reaction bite is getting better as the water warms up. Some of the bites were right on the bank and others came from 20+feet.

  • Amador County
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      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Got on the water around 8. Started off trying topwater for nothing. Threw dropshot right up on a point and caught 4 fish in 5 casts. One went 5pounds. Caught 2 more on the dropshot, and one around 3 on a flickshake.

      Also, while throwing the huddleston pulled in some ld fishing line,. Pulled it out of the water and a huddleston was on it too!
      City: fair oaks

      Tips: Fish around 10ft off main lake points. Saw some more fish cruising. All fish caught on the fall, just as the bait hit the bottom

  • Sonoma County
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      Water Temp: 64-66

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: camping for two days at sonoma, caught some nice bass from shallow to deep, lots three ponders around, I brought my C-Dory with me so its kind of hard to fish without electric motor. I can see lots of bass still spawning, or staging.
      City: El Cerrito

      Tips: worms ,swim baits, jig

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

  • Alameda County
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      Water Temp: 67-72

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Me,my buddy,and our kids went up for about 6 hours. We got on the lake at about 7am. We were trolling along the shore and near rocks. Around 8:30 my daughter had a bite, but it jumped off the hook. At about 10am my dauter had another bite when we were trolling along the tule using a yellow spinner about 3feet deep, and this time she had it. It was about 13inches and about 1.6 pounds. We let it go and moved on.For her thats a pretty big fish. Later at 11:15 my buddies daughter caught a small hatcher trout in a cove. As my buddy was helping his daughter his pole began bending. Found out he had a 2pound, female, trout on his line in the same excact spot, must have been related. At 1 we left to BBQ some trout. Was an OK day over all.
      City: Rohnert Pak

      Tips: troll slow in coves and along the shore. If fishing off the shore worms seemed to be working.

      GOOD LUCK!

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Went out saturday morning and sunday evenig. 8 fish total sat morning. We fished 7 to 11. 2 on top water the rest on senko. Best fish was 3+. Went out again sun and wind was killing us. missed one fish at the dam and picked up a 6+ trout on a senko in the tullies.

      Tips: Fish are everywhere. Just need the wind ti let you fish.

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Fished channel point and the island.Missed a swimbait fish yesterday, it was about 7.5lb-8lb. Today I caught dink and missed 3.Had a lot of fish follow my trout swimbait but no takers. Missed all 3 fish on drop shot.
      City: Antioch

      Tips: Looks like bass are begining to spawn again. Lots of big fish crusing looking for mates so look in shallows. Missed the 3 fish with shad color worm

    • By

      Water Temp: 68-71

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: water is starting to clear up considering what its been. we went for the afernoon bite. got on water at one. fished till nine thirty. my brother got about fifteen most just dinks but few 3s and max 6 i got ten . we fished worms all day an in the evening busted top water on buzz bait an zara spook. awesome day fishin one of the best this yr considering how slow its been.
      City: merced

      Tips: stay persistant. fish are picky dial in on a pattern a stick with it. there were lots of boats on the water for a fri. also saw blugill spawing!!!

  • Sacramento County
    • By

      Water Temp: did'nt look

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: I have been reading reports from this web site for a few years now, and have decided I am going to start posting reports. I fish every weekend and feel I have some info that can be usefull. I was on the water by 6 a.m., little to no wind. Threw reaction to no avail. First 2 casts with a swim bait (small blue huddleston shad) landed a 8 lb, and a 5 lb. On a major body point, did'nt hardly feel the take, but it was taken on the fall, both times. After that it shut down, a few 1-2 lbers on a drop shot in 10-15 ft of water. My best day on Folsom yet, 19 lbs. Check out the pic on the photos!
      City: El Dorado hills, Ca

      Tips: fish slow after the front, check your line OFTEN on the drop shot. Best bites were before the sun came up in the shallow on points. Good luck.

    • By

      Water Temp: 64

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: On the water from 5:45 to 8:45 am . Very tough bite, fish were not on the banks. did top water , rip bait , hud craw, and senkos. finally caught two undersized spots on a split shot mm robo worm. Not to many boats for a three day weekend.
      City: Granite Bay Ca.

  • Sonoma County
    • By

      Water Temp: 60's?

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: When i got to my spot with my dad it was really muddy. guess its not my spot anymore! haha. anyway after a little trouble at spring lake my dad and i came here and caught 3 in a half hour. all fish were on YUM Dingers and my dad caught a nice 2+ lb fish. i got 2 smaller 1 pounders.

      In response to the previous post, taking some fish out would be good for the lake. even if the water was at a normal level, harvesting some of the smaller fish would help produce some more size at this lake. I'm not a biologist either but i know a little bit about this subject. All of our fish were released.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: senko type baits produce well here, these fish are not as conditioned like the ones at spring lake.

  • Amador County
    • By

      Water Temp: 67

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: Took the wife cool day but not to cold. There were only a few boats on the lake. Fishing was good again 15 for the day. One was over 6 lbs and 3 fish L/M over 3lbs. Again all on reaction baits. Over cast weather made the fishing great

      Tips: Get out there before our weather heats up. There is a lot of Fish that can be pulled in at this lake.

    • By

      Water Temp: ?

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Had battery problems so we didnt get very far. i was afraid we wouldnt make it back to the dock! anyway, after fishing a little bit and getting nothing we slowly crawled back to the dock in our tiny lil boat. As my dad was putting it in the bed of his truck i proceeded to fish off the dock. On my second cast to a spot i got a bite and set the hook on the sucker. landed him, he was 1.5lbs, fun on my med-light setup. after that we went to ilsanjo to fish.
      City: Santa Rosa

      Tips: Well the fish have spawned and the males are guarding the fry. I used a watermelon colored YUM Dinger. Pretty shallow and close to cover. Stay a bit off of the cover and cast to it (trees, weeds, tules, etc). If you spook a fish just come back later and try again. Good Luck!!!

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

  • Mason County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Didn't get on, my own fault, but here is further information on the inspections.

      You must have your boat's registration papers (I didn't) to prove the county of registration.

      Boats registerd in San Benito county (San Justo),
      and San Luis Obisbo counties and south are all
      banned.

      There can be absolutely no water in your boat. This includes the lower end of your motor. Be sure to lower and drain before approaching the lake.
      City: Montere

    • By

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Got to the lake at 8am, had to pay $19 to launch my float tube...What a rip-off. Inspector was giving me a hard time about me being from Tahoe. My tube is brand new and never used so that was fine...but he was saying that the lakes are only supposed to be for people who live in the county. I asked the guy if he and his family ski's or snowboards. He said yes, curiously...So I told him that the slopes are only for us Tahoe locals. I spit near his shoe, got my money back and left.

  • Santa Barbara County
    • By

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: UPDATE -- Correction to last entry --

      There were two teams that got 5 fish and big bass was 3.57 not 4.57 as noted -- Sorry for the incorrect info
      City: SM

    • By

      Water Temp: 62-67

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Gold Coast Meet today -- 10 boats on hand -- winners in with 6 and change, big fish 4.56

      Lady Cachuma roared her head today as we were greeted with rain and cold and wind. A really poor day to fish with at least 4 boats coming in with zero's. Lots of fish caught === 11, 10,12,12-1/2, 12-3/4 but seldom a 13 keeper to show. I think only one boat had 5 the rest were one and two's - Main lake was VERY rough with swells breaking over the bow and giving us both a shower. All I can say is -- Well, it's finally over! TOUGH OL DAY TODAY FOR SURE.
      City: SM

      Tips: Some drop was working, big fish in with a jig someplace in Santa Cruz, shad colered Flirt worm got some of ours as did senkos. Nothing on a crank today. San Antonio up next on June 14th.

  • Ventura County
    • By

      Water Temp: 68.5

      Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

      Report: The fish have been moving around and are as unsettled as the weather. Three weeks ago I was into good numbers. Then the heat hit and the fish moved out into a total summer mode and now this week with rain and much cooler temps the bite is some what better. I have had some limited success on early morning topwater but the fact that the fish have all the shad the want to eat in the shallows has made the bite on " artificials " just that much tougher. One week the eat reaction baits the next week ripbaits but it has been a steady pick with a plastic worm. Sometimes shakey head works better than dropshot but the worm is the same. Oxblood light red flake! If I had any advice to give to a person who would like to catch a bass here it would be this. Buy some brown 1/4 oz. Burrhead jigheads from tacklewarehouse along with some 6 inch fat and 4 inch straight tail worms in the oxblood light red flake color. Get some mega strike or other actractant and your set. It is very easy to use the burrhead and since it is weedless it is a good way to search the area first. Once you know where all the brush is you can go back over the same water with your dropshot. I'm glad that the shad are making the bite easier for some but if you are not using bait you will have to make the fish react as they are pretty well feed right now.
      City: Ojai

      Tips: Fish fast in the first hour....back off and worm until 11:00 or so and then haul out your big top water punkers and trouts etc. as the fish seemed to ebb and flow with the baits proximity to the bank. Seeing clouds of bait in the shallows makes me keep on moving until I find a nice sterile point where the fish are waiting for some action....Right now for me anyway...the points are better than the quiet water that looks so juicey in the backs of the coves....lots of grass starting to emerge and the normal morning topwater thing is days from happening...

  • Mariposa County
    • By

      Water Temp: 68-70

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Last minute fishing trip opertunity on Saturday. Got up there about 1030 and fished til 400. The light rain and wind wasnt terrible, and didnt push the boat. Lake levels have dramaticaly risen and now the water level is level with the bottom of the tunnels near mclure point. Fishing was poor, perhaps due to the weather and water clarity or perhaps the rising water level.

      Main lake water temp was 68 , but 70 in the coves. Additionaly the grass carp, and bait fish are heavily concentrated up in the cotten creek area.

      Even trolling failed to produce anything.
      City: Atwater

      Tips: the worse than usualy water quality might suggest switching up colors, but with as little sucess as I had I have no tips to give.

  • Butte County
    • By

      Water Temp: 60-69

      Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

      Report: Took out a father/son team today. Weather was diffenately an issue today. The wind and rain was a nice change from the past week of 100 degrees. I would of liked to have had the guys throw some top water first thing but the wind was to much. Instead I had them throw tubes,senko's and jigs. For the half day, they ended up with about 30 bass with 6 over. We spent most of the time in the West Branch and the top of the main body. The guys had a great time even with the weather change.
      City: Paradise

      Tips: Colors on the tubes were clear sparkle and water melon, on the jigs,brown cinnamon/purple, green pumpkin and water melon. And same colors for the senko's

  • Palo Pinto County
    • By

      Water Temp: 66

      Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

      Report: Hahahahahah....Its funny seeing lots of people complain about this lake....YES!!!! It gets pretty nasty out there at time...BUT it also TURN ON ALOT TOO!!!!!Have fished this lake the past year and with a friend of mine...SEEN COUNTLESS 8-9lbs pulled out!!! I myself just caught a 5lber on a HUDD!!!!

      LEARN THE LAKE b4 you HATE ON IT!!!!! Algea BLOOM IS IN FULL EFFECT!!!! RIGHT NOW!!!! So adjust and you will get BIT!!!!

      Dont hate this lake cause you cant fish it RIGHT!!!...lol..... :-)
      City: Gilroy

      Tips: JIGS are the TICKET!!!!! BLK on BLK!!!! FISH TULLIES TIGHT AND SLOW!!!!

      Then write a report and tell me how you did!!!!....lol...